Saturday, December 20, 2008

Burt Bacharach Day

Thanks a million to frequent cohort and Psychotronic Paul Fan Club memberLazy-Eye Raspberry Kennedyfor bringing this classic clip (from what show? Ed Sullivan?) of Teutonic tunesters The Kessler Sisters to my ever-wandering attention. If Dionne Warwick can record "Walk On By" in German (and she did, beautifully - I've heard it), these fetching twins can sing "I Say A Little Prayer!" What I like most is how totally disconnected the performance is from the actual meaning of the lyrics and song. That's Entertainment!

When sung by a guy - or a darker type of female vocalist: think Amy Winehouse today - these lyrics by Hal David take on a sinister quality, and sound more like the obsessive words of a stalker than the emotions of a person "in love" (whatever that means).Makes me wonder - did Elvis Costello cover "I Say A Little Prayer!" during his tour with Burt?

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About Me

I'm a writer and film historian who has programmed classic film events in the San Francisco Bay Area for more than 30 years. These include the Pre-Code Follies at the Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum and the KFJC Psychotronix Film Festivals at Foothill College.